Decorating apparatus



Jan. 5; 1943. c. A. HEYNE DE CORATING APPARQTUS Filed March :51, ,1941

s Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS Jan. 5, 1943. .c. A. HEYNE 2,307,404

I I DECORATING APPARATUS v Filed March 51', 1941 s Sheets-Sheet 2 U B n: 60 am .52 i 3 lNV NTOR ATTORNEYS Jan. 5, 1943. c. A. HEYNF 4 4 DECOR'ATINC; APPARATUS e Shets-Sheet s e ne INVENTZQ Filed March 31, 1941 ATTORNEYS Jan. 5, 1943. c, HEYNE 2,307,404

I DECORATING APPARATUS;

Filed March 31, 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 ,zj ga.

CA.Hey72e INVENTOR ATi'ORNEYS c A. HEYNE DECORATING APPARATUS Jan. 5, 1943.

Filed March 31, 6 SheetS- Sheet 6 itli 3 ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 5, 1943 UNITED STATES "PATENT *OFcFJlaCE DECORATING APPARATUS ClarenceAHeyne, Alton, Ill., assignor to Owens- Illinois Glass-Company, a corporation of Ohio Application March 31, 1941, Serial No. 386,075

10 Claims.

My invention relates to printing and decorating apparatus of the screen type in which the printing ordecorating material is applied-to the articles through a screen or the like. The invention in its preferred form is adapted for applying color designs or decorations to the surfaces of bottles or other round articles.

An object of the invention is to provide improved means for simultaneously applying decorations to different portions of the articles presenting round surfaces of different diameters as for example, the body and shoulder portions of a bottle.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved pneumatic operating and controlling mechanism for actuating the .moving parts and automatically synchronizing and controllin the various operations.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view-of a decorating machine embodying the principles of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the machine.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the machine on a. larger scale, parts being broken away.

Fig, 4 is a plan view of a portion of the machine including the screen carriages and the piston motor for operating them.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional elevation. of the machine at'the planes indicated-by the .line 5-5 on Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation at the plane of the line 66 on Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a detail view showing a chuck and its motor in section.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary rear elevation of the machine, parts being shown in section and parts broken away.

Fig. 9 is a part sectional plan view showing the squeegee carrying arms and mechanism for lifting them.

Fig. 10 is a detail view showing the foot treadle and valves operated thereby.

Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic View ofthe air motors and the control system therefor.

Referring to the drawings, the. machine as shown and as will now be described, is particularly adapted for decorating the bodies and shoulders of round bottles B of. conventional" framework includinga platform 21. supported on ventional manner.

the frames 24. A shaft 21 journalled in 'the head "25 carries a chuck 28 to engage the bottom end of a bottle B during the decorating operation. The neck end of the bottle is held by a neck chuck 29 carriedon an arm 30- adjusta-bly mounted on a bracket 32 attached to the head 25.

The work-holder frame is carried on avertical screw shaft 33 supported by and adjustable up and down in the platform 2|. To permit such adjustment the shaft is threaded'through a bushing 34 secured to the platform and carries at its lower end a hand wheel 35. The shaft is locked inits adjusted position by a locking nutor element 36 having a hub 31 threaded on the shaft. Vertical adjustment of the work-holder permits bottles or other articles of various sizes to be adjusted tothe proper height for-cooperation with the decorating screens.

Referring to Fig. 7, the neck holding chuck 29 carries a pad 38 of rubber or the like for engaging the lip of the bottle. The chuck is movable to and from the work-holding position by an air operated piston motor 39'. The motor piston-40 and piston rod 43 with the chuck attached thereto; aremoved forward by air under pressure and retracted by aspring 42.

The cylindrical body of the bottle is decorated by means of a decorating screen 45 herein reperviousportionsv 46 (Fig. 1) representing the designs which are applied to the bottles in a conbottle is decoratedrin like manner bya screen v 4 herein termed a shoulder screen, carrying decorative designs-48. The. body screen45 is carried in a rectangular screen frame- 49 connected to a body screen carriage 5| (Figs. 1 and 6) by means of bracket arms 50, and a bar 52 attachedto said The shoulder portion of the,

which they are clamped by bolts 56, permitting the shoulder screen to be adjusted to different positions lengthwise of the work-piece therebeneath. A scale 51 carried on one of the arms 55 indicates the position of adjustment. The arms 55, 54 are also adjustable vertically for adjusting the height of the shoulder screen. For this purpose each of the arms 55 is provided at its inner end with a vertical rack 58 mounted for up and down movement in a bracket 59 (see Figs. 3, 4, and 8). The brackets 59 are mounted on a shoulder screen carriage 6|, Adjustment of the shoulder screen up and down is effected by means of a hand wheel 62 on an adjusting rod 63 journalled in the brackets 59 and carrying pinions 64 which engage the rack bars 58.

The body screen carriage 5|, which is of rectangular construction, is slidably mounted for lengthwise reciprocation on the frames 24. Each of the frames 24 comprises spaced parallel side walls 65, on the upper surfaces of which the screen carriage 5| is slidably supported. The shoulder screen carriage BI is also of rectangular form and supported directly on the frame 5| for relative movement lengthwise thereof The carriages 5| and 6| are reciprocated by an air operated piston motor 68, herein referred to as the main motor, mounted on the platform 2|. The motor includes a piston 61 (Fig. 8) and piston rod 68, the latter connected to an arm 89 (Figs. 5 and 8) bolted to and extending downward from the carriage 5|. Each stroke of the motor piston moves the body screen carriage lengthwise during the decorating operation and at the same time rotates the workpiece B at the same surface speed as that of the decorating screen 45. The operating connections for rotating the chuck comprise a gear wheel I (Figs. 3 and 8) keyed to shaft 2'! and meshing with a rack bar II attached at its ends to vertical arms I2. The arms I2 are clamped to pins I3 fixed to and extending rearwardly from the carriage The gear I8 is preferably of a pitch diameter equal to the diameter of the surface which is being decorated, the gear being removable and interchangeable with gears of other diameters for decorating work-pieces of different diameters.

Operating connections between the motor 86 and the shoulder screen include a gear I4 keyed to the shaft 2'! and driving a rack bar I5 connected to the shoulder screen carriage 6|. Such connection includes an arm I6 formed on the rack bar I5 and bolted to a connecting piece or bracket 'I'I which in turn is bolted to the carriage 5|. The rack I5 is adjustable vertically for cooperation with gears I4 of different diameters corresponding to the diameter of the shoulder portion of the work-piece which is being decorated.

Squeegees 80 and 8| (see Figs. 3 and 6) cooperate with the screens 45 and 41 respectively in a conventional manner for applying the decorating material. That is to say, the squeegees are held stationary and hold the screens against the surfaces to be decorated, while the said surfaces rotate and the screens advance therewith, o that the decorating material is forced through the perforate portions of the screen comprising the designs 46, 48.

The shoulder squeegee 8| is carried by a pair of arms 82 which are keyed to a pivot shaft 83 (Figs. 6 and 9) at the inner end of said arms. The shaft 83 is journalled in a carrier 84 which supports the squeegees and which is movable up and down for periodically lifting the squeegees as hereinafter described. The shoulder squeegee 8| is connected to the arms 82 by means of a block slidable lengthwise of said arms for adjusting the squeegee and is held in its adjusted position by a clamping bolt 86.

The body squeegee 80 is carried on an arm 81 mounted between the arms 82 for swinging movement about the axis of the pivot shaft 83. Extending forwardly from the arm 81 and attached thereto or forming an integral part thereof are parallel spaced bars 81'. The squeegee 88 is attached to a post 88 which is adjustable up and down by means of an adjusting screw 89 and is also adjustable lengthwise of the bars 81' and held in such adjusted position by a clamping nut The arms 82 carrying the shoulder squeegee are adjustable about the axis of the pivot 83 relative to the arm 81, 8'! which carries the body squeegee, thus permitting up and down adjustment of the shoulder squeegee relative to the body squeegee. The means for effecting this adjustment will be understood by referring to Figs. 5 and 6. Such adjusting means includes an adjusting rod 9| screw threaded into the arm 81 and adjustable therein by means of a knob 92. The rod 9| is journalled in the upper end of a yoke 93 which straddles the arm 81. The lower ends of the yoke arms are provided with projections which engage beneath shoulders formed on the arms 82. The yoke 93 is formed with lugs 94 in which screw rods 95 are supported. Coil compression springs 96 are mounted on the rods 95 between the lugs 94 and nuts 91 threaded on said rods. The rods 95 at their lower ends engage the arms 82. The springs 96 apply an upward pressure to the yoke 93 and thereby yieldingly hold the arm 81 in a certain position relative to the arms 82, determined by the adjustment of the yoke 93.

The squeegees may be swung upward from their operative position and held up by means (Figs. 6 and 9) including a handle I00 at the outer end of a pair of rods IIlI supported on the arm 81 for lengthwise movement thereof. Holding dogs I92 attached to the forward end of the rods IOI are adapted to engage notches I03 formed in a yoke I04 in which the pivot rod 83 is journalled, said yoke forming an integral part of the carrier 84. The squeegee arms are thus held in their.

operative position. When the handle I88 and dogs I92 are retracted against the holding pressure of coil springs I85, the squeegee arms may be swung upward by said handle to the broken line position (Fig. 6) and held in such position by engagement of the dogs I02 with upper notches I I16 in the yoke.

The carrier 84 which supports the squeegee mechanism is indirectly supported on a vertically disposed frame I0'I having a fixed mounting between the adjacent ends of the frames 24. The frame I01 includes depending arms I 98 at the lower end thereof for attachment to the frames 24. The connection between the carrier 84 and the frame IDI includes a piston motor IIO having a piston I II and piston rod I89. During the decorating operation the piston is held in its lowered position by air under pressure, thereby holding the squeegees against the screens and holding the latter in contact with the work-piece. At the completion of each decorating stroke of the screens, the air pressure to the motor III] is cut off and the piston lifted by a coil spring 3 held under compression between the carrier 84 and the frame IIl'I.

The screen carriage 5| is arrested at the completion of its horizontal travel by stop devices H4 (Fig. 5). Each stop device includes a piston II 5 working in a cylinder H6. The piston carries a pad II! of rubber or the like to engage the screen carriage. When the carriage strikes a piston as it approaches the end of its travel, the piston is moved inwardly, compressing the air within the cylinder and arresting the carriage with a dash pot action. The air is permitted to escape from the cylinder through a restricted passageway controlled by an adjustable throttle valve H6. The stop devices H4 are mounted for sliding movement along the walls 65 of the frames 24, for adjustably varying the positions at which the screen carriages are stopped. The adjustment is effected by means of an adjusting rod I26, journalled in the outer ends of the frames 24 and carrying a hand wheel IZI. adjusting devices are formed with internally screw threaded bearings I22 for right and lefthand screw threads formed on the rod I26.

The pneumatic system for operating and controlling the decorating mechanism will now be described. Referring to Fig. 11, air under pressure is supplied through a pressure regulator I25 to a pressure tank I26. Air under pressure is supplied from the tank through a pressure pipe i2? to a rotary valve H8. The valve is rotated step by step by a piston motor i3I for connecting opposite ends of the main motor 66 alternately with the pressure supply through pipes I29 and 536. The motor I3! also functions as a valve to control the air suppl from a pressure pipe I32 to the motor II 6 for lifting the Squeegees, air pressure being transmitted from the valve lSI through a pipe I33 to motor III The valve 53H also controls the air pressure supplied through a pipe I34 to the motor 39 for operating the chuck. The piston motor i3I is operated by air supplied through a pressure line comprising pipes I35 and 531 leading respectively to and from a valve box I36.

Fig. illustrates the manual control device including a foot pedal I38 pivotally mounted on the valve box I36. A valve I46 in the valve box is normally held closed by its spring, thereby closing the pressure line including the pipe I35 which opens into the valve box through a port E35 and the pipe I3? which opens into the valve box through a port I31? A valve I4I controlling anv exhaust port I42 is held open by a tappet I43 on the foot pedal, the latter being held in the position shown by a coil spring I44. When the foot pedal is depressed, the tappet I43 is lifted, permitting the valve I4! to close and the valve I46 then is opened by a tappet I45. Air is thus supplied through pipe I31 to the valve motor I3I (Figs. 8 and 11). This imparts an operating stroke to the motor piston I 46. As the piston advances it first opens a port to the pipe line I34 leading to the chuck operating motor 36 so that the latter operates to grip the work-piece. Continued forward movement of the piston I46 opens communication to the pipe I 33 leading to the motor III! so that the latter operates to lower the squeegees into operative position.

The,

The forward stroke of the piston I46 also operv with air pressure and exhaust. With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 11, the pressure pipe I2? is connected through the valve I28 to the pipe I30 for holding the motor piston at the left-hand end of the cylinder. When the foot pedal is actuated and the valve I28 rotated, as above described, the pipe I36 is opened to exhaust and the pipe I29 connected to the pressure pipe I21, thereby operating the motor 66.

The operation may be summarized as follows: The operator places a bottle B in position on the chuck 28 with the neck of the bottle resting on a guide plate I48 (Fig. 6) which holds it in line with the chuck 29. The rotative position of the bottle is indicated by pointers I49 (Figs. 2 and 3) adjustably mounted on stationary rods I56. The bottle may be rotated by hand to bring a side seam or other indicating mark in line with a pointer I49. The foot pedal I38 is now depressed thereby supplying air to the motor I3! so that it operates, first to actuate the chuck motor 36 and cause the chuck 29 to clamp the bottle, then to actuate the motor IE6 and move the squeegees downward to hold the screens against the surfaces to be decorated, and then to supply air pressure for operating the main motor 66. The latter advances the body screen carriage with the body of the work-piece in rolling contact with the screen, and through the rack and pin ion ll, 76 (Fig. 8) rotates the work-piece at the same peripheral speed. At the same time the shoulder screen ll is advanced through the rack and gear connections 15, H4, at a slower speed corresponding to the diameter of the shoulder portion which is being decorated. The body screen carriage is arrested at the completion of its stroke by the buffer stop H4. The operator then releases the foot pedal, permitting the motor piston I46 (Figs. 8 and 11) to be returned as by means of a coil spring Ifil, thereby causing the chuck 29 to be retracted and the squeegees lifted. This permits the bottle to be removed and another one placed in position to be decorated during the movement of the carriages in the opposite direction.

Modifications may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. Decorating apparatus comprising a motor,

a screen frame, a screen carried by said frame,,

operating connections between the motor and said frame for reciprocating the latter, a work-- holder, means for securing a work-piece to the work-holder, driving connections between the work-holder and the motor for rotating the workholder with the work-piece in rolling contact with the screen, a second screen frame and screen, and driving connections between the second screen frame and the work-holder by which said second screen is driven by the work-holder at a different speed from the first screen.

2. Decorating apparatus comprising a screen carriage, means for reciprocating the carriage, a screen connected to the carriage, a work-holder including a shaft, a driving connection between the shaft and said carriage for rotating the workholder when the screen is reciprocated, a second screen carriage, a screen carried thereby, and driving connections between said shaft and said second carriage for reciprocating the latter at a speed different from that of the first mentioned carriage.

3. Decorating apparatus comprising in combination screen carriage, screens carried thereby. a shaft, a work-holding chuck carried by said shaft, pinions of different diameters keyed to said shaft, racks connected respectively to said carriages and running in mesh respectively with said pinions, and means for driving one of said carriages and causing the latter to rotate said shaft and thereby drive the other carriage.

4. Apparatus for decorating round bottles comprising a body screen frame and screen, a shoulder screen frame and screen, body and shoulder screen carriages to which said screen frames are respectively connected, a motor having a driving connection with the body screen carriage, a chuck for holding a bottle, a shaft carrying said chuck, gears keyed to said shaft, and racks meshing respectively with said gears and mounted respectively on said carriages, said gears being of difierent diameters corresponding to the diameters of the body and shoulder portions of the bottle to which the screen decorations are applied.

5. Apparatus for decorating round bottles comprising a body screen frame and screen, a shoulder screen frame and screen, body and shoulder screen carriages to which said screen frames are respectively connected, a motor having a driving connection with the body screen carriage, a chuck for holding a bottle, a shaft carrying said chuck, gears keyed to said shaft, and racks meshing respectively with said gears and mounted respectively on said carriages, said gears being of different diameters corresponding to the diameters of the body and shoulder portions of the bottle to which the screen decorations are applied, said gears being interchangeable with other gears of different diameters, said racks being adjustable to actuate gears of different diameters and said shaft being adjustable toward and from the screens for operatively positioning bottles of different diameters relative to the screen.

6. Apparatus for simultaneously applying decorations to different surface portions of a round article, said surface portions being of different diameters, said apparatus comprising means for rotating said article about a horizontal axis,

screens positioned for respectively engaging said i surfaces, squeegees cooperating respectively with said screens, arms to which said squeegees are respectively attached, said arms being relatively rotatable about a common horizontal axis, means for holding said arms at a predetermined relative position of rotation about said axis, means for rotatively adjusting one said squeegee and its carrying arm about said axis relative to the other squeegee, and means for lifting and lowering the squeegees and their carrying arms bodily as a unit from and to their operating positions.

7. Apparatus for simultaneously applying decorations to different surface portions of a round article, said surface portions being of different diameters, said apparatus comprising screens for respectively engaging said surfaces, squeegees cooperating respectively with said screens, arms to which said squeegees are respectively attached, said arms being relatively rotatable about a common axis, means for holding said arms at a predetermined relative position of rotation about said axis, manual means for swinging said squeegees and arms as a unit about said axis for moving the squeegees to operative and inoperative positions, means for holding the arms and squeegees in each of said positions, and automatic means for lifting and lowering the squeegees and their carrying arms bodily as a unit from and to their operating positions.

8. Decorating apparatus comprising in combination a body squeegee, a shoulder squeegee, an arm on which the body squeegee is carried, an arm on which the shoulder squeegee is carried, said arms being relatively movable about a common axis, means for yieldingly holding said arms in a predetermined relative position, means for adjusting one said arm about said axis relative to the other arm, means for adjusting each of said squeegees lengthwise of its supporting arm, and means for adjusting one of said squeegees in a direction transversely of its supporting arm.

9. Apparatus for decorating bottles comprising a body screen frame and screen, a shoulder screen frame and screen, a body squeegee cooperating with the body screen, a shoulder squeegee cooperating with the shoulder screen, a pair of spaced arms carrying the shoulder squeegee, a pivot shaft on which said arms are mounted, an arm carrying the body squeegee and mounted to swing about the axis of said pivot shaft, means for holding the arms which carry the shoulder squeegee in a predetermined position relative to the arm which carries said body squeegee, and means for adjusting the shoulder squeegee arms relative to the body squeegee arm.

10. Apparatus for decorating bottles comprising a body screen frame and screen, a shoulder screen frame and screen, a body squeegee cooperating with the body screen, a shoulder squeegee cooperating with the shoulder screen, a pair of spaced arms carrying the shoulder squeegee, a pivot shaft on which said arms are mounted, an arm carrying the body squeegee and mounted to swing about the axis of said pivot shaft, means for holding the arms which carry the shoulder squeegee in a predetermined position relative to the arm which carries said body squeegee, and means for adjusting the shoulder squeegee arms relative to the body squeegee arm, said holding and adjusting means including a yoke, a screw shaft journalled in the yoke and having a threaded connection with the body squeegee arm for adjusting the yoke, and spring means for yieldingly holding the shoulder squeegee arms in a predetermined position relative to said yoke.

CLARENCE A. HEYNE. 

